Aurora-Magicka
by Dannrose
Summary: Its said that Jorgen, founder of the Jorgensons, left a great treasure. Now, Jorgen's map has been found which only a Jorgenson can read and Snotlout is the only Jorgenson left. With Hunters, pirates and all-female brigands fighting over him and the map, he's in for a dangerous time. Part of my 'Differently Similar' verse.
1. Focused Fleet

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello all and welcome to the story. This one is set during RTTE and for those who don't know my 'Differently Similar' verse, its basically an AU where Snotlout was orphaned at a young age and was reared by Stoick. As such, he and Hiccup are far closer and he's far more agreeable. I reference many of my other stories throughout this one but I'll try and write so that its not vital to read those first to understand what's going on.**_

 _ **As a minor note, I've taken liberties with the Riders' relative ages, they're all around the age they should be in terms of canon but which of them is older and younger than the others will be different. Also, I've just put up a fic titled 'Back to Back', it's a tester for another HTTYD AU (yes, another one) and I was hoping people would give me feedback on it. Now the shameless plug is done, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Focused Fleet**

The day started off unusually quiet upon Dragon's Edge.

Normally, people were rudely awakened by the twins destroying something or a sudden flock of migrating dragons or even Hookfang roaring his head off to wake up Snotlout. Today however, things started quietly and Hiccup enjoyed the rare peace and quiet he was getting that morning. In a way, he wasn't that surprised it was so quiet, after their failed vacation (due to Grimora parasites driving the dragons crazy) everyone needed a good break.

Hiccup was making the most of his time to create a series of slightly different tail fins for Toothless, though the Night Fury's favoured red one was great for most things, Hiccup believed that having specific fins for specific purposes could help them in their continued missions against Viggo. Satisfied with his latest creation he turned around and showed it to Toothless, who was laying down behind him, "Well bud, what do you think?"

The Night Fury lifted his head and eyed the new fin, he ambled over and sniffed it curiously before finally sitting down and rumbling in approval. Hiccup grinned, "Well, I'm glad it meets your standards, what do you say to giving it a test flight?"

Toothless roared happily and bounced around in excitement, Hiccup laughed and was about to start switching tail fins when Astrid landed just outside and hurried into his hut, "Hiccup, I was out on an early patrol with Stormfly and we spotted something you should see."

Hiccup shared a quick look of concern with Toothless before mounting up ready to fly.

* * *

It wasn't far out to sea that they saw what it was Astrid wanted to show them.

A whole group of Scauldrons swimming past Dragon's Edge.

Hiccup frowned as they swam by, the normally hostile dragons weren't that interested in the two riders but that wasn't what concerned him, "What are Scauldrons doing here? They normally don't come this close to the Edge, not without a reason."

Astrid agreed with him, "Exactly, they prefer much deeper water and don't come this close to shore unless there's food to be had. There's also a lot of them together, I've not seen anything like this before."

Hiccup's frown deepened, "At least they're not heading for the Edge, the last thing we need is a load of Scauldrons in our waters. Let's head back and tell the others, maybe Fishlegs has an idea on what's going on."

* * *

Before long, all the Riders were present in the Clubhouse and Fishlegs was stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"So, there was a group of Scauldrons all travelling together?"

Hiccup nodded, "Loads of them, far more than I've ever seen before."

The oldest of the Riders began pacing, "Scauldrons usually travel alone or in groups of two or three, most only pair up briefly to mate and that's it. Loads of them travelling together is unheard of."

Hiccup folded his arms, "Is it possible they're running from something? That's usually the cause for sudden dragon migrations."

"But what are they running from." Astrid asked, "It would surely be something really huge to chase away that many Scauldrons, what if it's coming our way?"

Snotlout spoke up from his seat at the central table, "But how would it scare that many Scauldrons at once, I thought they never would've gathered in a big enough group for that many to be spooked at once."

Fishlegs answered thoughtfully, "Not necessarily." He turned to Hiccup, "Which direction were they heading?"

Placing a map of the area on the table, Hiccup drew a faint arrow in charcoal to indicate the direction, "That way."

Fishlegs took the charcoal and drew a straight line backwards in the opposite direction to the arrow, "So assuming the Scauldrons have continued to swim in a straight line, the first island this line hits should be the place they came from." The line crossed directly over a horseshoe shaped island and the teen bounced excitedly, "I knew it, that's where they came from!"

Hiccup eyed the island doubtfully, "But I've flown over that place with Toothless loads of times. It's just a bunch of barren, jagged rocks, there's nothing there."

Fishlegs grinned, "Maybe on the surface." He produced some of his Dragon Eye notes and placed them on top of the map, "I found a load of information on Scauldrons in the Dragon Eye and wrote it down to be looked into later, apparently, there's a special island where many of them gather to lay their eggs. Its riddled with caves and caverns that are only accessible from under the sea so it helps keep their eggs safe from predators. There weren't any navigational points for the island but there was a sketch of its shape."

He singled out one of the notes and showed it to the others, Hiccup grinned, "It's a perfect match to the island on the map!"

Snotlout had been leaning over Hiccup's shoulder and he spoke up, "So something has probably moved onto the island and driven the Scauldrons away?"

Ruffnut put in her opinion, "Or someone."

Tuffnut briefly left off playing with Chicken to add his own thoughts, "Maybe Viggo got there first, he usually does."

Hiccup spoke decisively, "Either way we have to look into this, something is causing the Scauldrons to flee their nesting ground and we need to find out what. Let's mount up!"

* * *

The flight to the island was long and uneventful and it eventually appeared on the horizon.

As they approached, Tuffnut spoke up, "Hey, I was just wondering something. If the island's caves are only accessible from underwater how are we going to get in? I mean, while drowning could be fun it's not exactly Valhalla worthy."

Snotlout flew Hookfang alongside Toothless and addressed his cousin, "He has a point Hiccup, I'd rather not go swimming if I can help it and none of our dragons are really built for being in the sea long."

"Don't worry Snotlout." The older teen answered reassuringly, "I'm not making us swim into the caves. Scauldrons need to breathe air the same as any other dragon, as such the caverns where they nest need to have entry points above sea level to let fresh air in. If all the exits were underwater then that couldn't happen, we're going to search the island for a land based entrance."

"And if all of them are too small or inaccessible for us?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup shrugged, "Then we improvise the way we always do."

Fishlegs spoke nervously, "And when we find whatever it was that scared all the Scauldrons away?"

"Don't worry Fishlegs. I'm sure we can handle whatever it is no problem."

Tuffnut spoke up once more, "Er…Hiccup? I don't want to ruin your whole, attitude of positivity but I'm not sure we can handle it very well at all…look!"

He pointed towards the island and all the Riders focused their eyes upon it to see a whole fleet of, unfortunately, very familiar ships.

Dragon Hunters.

Astrid looked to Hiccup, "There's way too many of them for us, we need to retreat now before they spot us!"

Hiccup's eyes darkened, "They must be trapping Scauldrons and taking their eggs. That's why all of those Scauldrons were fleeing this island."

Snotlout called across to him, "Then let's follow their example and get the heck out of here!"

Meatlug buzzed overhead as Fishlegs agreed, "They're right Hiccup, we don't stand a chance against them right now."

Hiccup glared at the distant ships and Astrid flew a little closer to him, "Hiccup, I know you want to protect the dragons, believe me, we all want the same, but this is a battle we can't win. Sometimes you have to retreat even if you don't want to, we'll find another way to drive the Hunters off and get the Scauldrons their island back."

His glare intensified then softened as he sighed, "Let's get back to the Edge, before they spot us."

As one, the Riders and their dragons turned and flew homeward in silence but it wasn't long before Ruffnut called out nervously, "Er…guys! I think they spotted us!"

Astrid growled in annoyance and faced them angrily, "And why do you think that?"

Tuffnut gestured casually behind him, "Because the whole fleet is following us."

True to his words, the fleet was indeed following them, apparently abandoning their task on the island. Fishlegs fidgeted fearfully, "Why are all of them following us?"

"It doesn't matter." Hiccup faced the fleet, "We can't let a force that size follow us back to the Edge. We need to stop them here."

"I thought we just decided to not take on the death fleet!" Snotlout gestured wildly, "How are we going to stop them without dying!?"

"This won't be a pitched battle Snotlout." The older cousin answered determinedly, "We'll fly hard and fast, deal enough damage to slow them up and then escape. We'll hit hard enough to force them into retreat."

The youngest rider groaned as they all prepared to attack, Hiccup lead the charge and gave some last commands, "Pick your targets and make your shots count, remember that they'll be launching missiles. Aim for the mast or the waterline of the hulls, give them something to worry about."

The Hunters saw them coming and it wasn't long before the missiles started flying, Toothless dodged them with practised ease as he countered with his plasma blasts. The other dragons were doing the same and their destruction wreaked havoc in the fleet, just as Hiccup wanted.

It seemed to be going perfectly until a loud yell caught his attention.

"HICCUP, HELP!"

The teen looked upwards to see Hookfang diving and dodging all over the place to avoid the veritable storm of arrows, chains and nets whirling around him, Snotlout was clinging to his dragon's neck like a limpet and barely managing to not be thrown off. Hiccup and Toothless immediately shot up to aid the pair, the Night Fury firing off several more shots to try and clear the skies. Even with their help, they were hard pressed and before long the other dragons swooped in to defend their comrades.

Hiccup knew they would not last long like this and he gave the command, "Everyone, into the clouds! Get out of range!"

The dragons shot upwards as fast as possible and soon they were out of range of the Hunters weapons. Relatively safe, Hiccup flew Toothless alongside his cousin in concern, "Snotlout, are you alright?"

The teen carefully released his death grip on Hookfang's saddle, "Yeah, I think so."

Astrid joined them, "What the heck happened down there?"

Snotlout shrugged, "I have no idea. One moment, me and Hookfang were all set to burn some ships and the next, the whole fleet was throwing everything they had at us!"

Fishlegs entered the discussion as well, "Hiccup, I saw some of it from Meatlug. It looked like the fleet was mostly focused on Hookfang, not the rest of us. They only sent a few arrows and things our way to keep us occupied, they seemed really desperate to capture Hookfang and Snotlout."

The youngest teen glanced at Hiccup, "But why us?"

"Duh!" Ruffnut answered, "Isn't it obvious?"

Astrid glowered, "No."

The other girl smiled knowingly, "Then allow us to enlighten you. Tuffnut."

The male twin gestured dramatically with his arm, "The reason, dear Dragon Riders, that our ever-tenacious foe, the Dragon Hunters, want to capture one Snotlout, is because, over the years that we have known him, said Rider has proven scientifically to be the most kidnappable person among us. If any nefarious plot of our enemies involves a kidnapping, then they will most likely kidnap Snotlout, if not they'll kidnap Hiccup."

Ruffnut continued, "We theorise that this is because Snotlout is currently the youngest member of our group. Our enemies know this and thus target him because they believe it'll stimulate a stronger emotional response within us, due to our instinctual need to protect the younger members."

Tuffnut became more dramatic, "Alas, it is a grave burden to bear a desire to defend the younger, more defenceless members of our merry band. Though it is one we bear proudly and without regret."

Snotlout rolled his eyes, "That doesn't make any sense, and you're only two months older than me anyway!"

Tuffnut held up a hand, "Do not fear young Snotlout, we understand that the realities of the world may currently be beyond your young, innocent mind."

As Snotlout slapped his forehead, Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose, "Oh Thor…look, it doesn't matter! Right now, we need to get back to the Edge and try and figure out the real reason why the Hunters were so dead set on capturing Snotlout and Hookfang, as well as a way to get them away from the Scauldron's nesting site."

Astrid nodded, "Agreed, let's head back."

As they began flying towards the Edge, Snotlout and Hookfang hung back a moment and looked back at the Hunter ships that were returning to the island.

The teen couldn't shake the feeling that something bigger was going on.

* * *

 _ **PS-So I hope you all enjoyed that and that I got the twins right. This is probably the most lines I've ever given them before and while I love their whole thing of dramatic/scientific craziness, I'm not sure I have quite the right imagination to pull it off. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	2. Revelations and Plans

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. A slightly shorter one this time but it does say more of what's going on. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Revelations and Plans**

As they approached the Edge, they spotted a familiar ship at its small dock.

Hiccup frowned, "Is that Trader Johann?"

Snotlout stared at the ship, "What's he doing here?"

They flew down to the dock and found that it was indeed Johann's ship, the trader himself was waiting aboard her for them and he waved them over as they landed, "Master Hiccup, I've found out something that you need to hear."

The teen walked over to him, "What is it Johann?"

The trader instantly began at full flow, "Well, I was just attending some business on an island some distance from here, lovely people, they once helped me after my ship had been damaged by a giant squid. They offered…"

"Johann!" Hiccup cut across him, "The short version please."

Johann looked a bit put out but did as asked, "Word is spreading all over the sea that the map to Jorgen's treasure has been found!"

"Wait!" Snotlout looked incredulous, "Jorgen, as in, Berk's Jorgen?"

The man grinned, "The very same! Apparently, Jorgen stored up a vast amount of treasure in his lifetime but then hid it all and left only a map. Rumour has it he wanted his wealth to only go to his descendants so he designed the map in such a way that only a Jorgenson could read it."

Tuffnut butted in, "Treasure! How much treasure?"

Johann gestured grandly, "They say enough treasure to last a man a lifetime!" He turned to Hiccup, "Anyway, the news has fired up every unscrupulous character and salty ne'er-do-well across the sea, they all want the map so they can claim the treasure."

Fishlegs frowned, "But if the map can only be read by a Jorgenson then it's useless…oh." His eyes widened fearfully.

Hiccup brow creased in worry, "They need Snotlout."

Snotlout gulped, "So that means…"

Johann nodded, "I'm afraid so Master Snotlout, it's no secret that you're the only Jorgenson left, anyone who knows a bit about Berk knows it and word travels fast. Right now, you're possibly the most valuable thing to every person who wants a piece of Jorgen's treasure."

Hiccup spoke urgently, "Johann, do you know who has the map at the moment?"

The trader grimaced, "Indeed Master Hiccup, but I afraid you won't like the answer." He paused then spoke.

"Its Viggo Grimborn."

* * *

"It makes sense, that's why those Dragon Hunter ships were so determined to capture Snotlout."

They'd headed straight to the clubhouse after Johann's news and Hiccup was pacing anxiously, "If Viggo has Jorgen's map then he'll definitely be after the treasure. If Johann's right, then he needs Snotlout to read it and show him the way."

Astrid spoke up, "Not to mention that probably every pirate, outcast and other such people will be after him as well."

"But it doesn't make sense!" Snotlout was perched on the central table and clearly unnerved, "We have Jorgen's journal and we've read it all the way through, several times! He doesn't mention anything about any treasure or map anywhere in the entire thing! Surely, he'd at least hinted at in there?"

Fishlegs was sat beside him, "Maybe he was worried that someone else would read it so he kept any mention of it out of his journal."

"It doesn't matter if it's in his journal or not!" Astrid pointed out, "Viggo has the map and clearly wants Snotlout to read it for him. Everyone else will also find out who Snotlout is before long and they'll try and get to him first, Viggo knows this so he has to capture Snotlout as soon as possible." She stepped towards Hiccup, "We have to get him off the Edge and back to Berk before Viggo attacks."

Snotlout spoke up irately, "Hey! Don't I get a say in this!"

She folded her arms and looked at him, "Sorry Snotlout, but it's for your own safety. Right now, you have a massive sign above your head telling everyone to kidnap you." She turned back to Hiccup, "We have to take him back now."

"Since when do you decide something like that for me!"

Tuffnut was sat on Snotlout's other side and he placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, "Alas, dear Snotlout, that is the burden of being so young. Everyone seems to make your decisions for you, yet they do so only to keep you safe."

Snotlout glared at him, "You are not helping."

Fishlegs fidgeted nervously, "While I don't think we should decide for you like you're a kid, I do think Astrid's right in suggesting that we take you back to Berk. You'll be a lot safer there with us, the whole village and the A-team to protect you, just that fact alone will probably discourage a lot of people from trying to capture you."

Hiccup shook his head, "It won't stop Viggo, and he has the resources to properly attack Berk if he wants to, even with our dragons." He frowned, "And he'll be expecting us to try and take Snotlout back, he'll have some sort of trap laid for us if we try."

"And if we stay here we'll soon have shiploads of pirates attacking us to get him." Astrid reminded him, "We can't hold off Viggo and whoever else turns up by ourselves."

Hiccup's worried frown turned thoughtful, "Maybe it's not about protecting Snotlout."

Ruffnut looked at him in confusion, "Err… I think it is."

Hiccup began pacing again, though in excitement, "No it isn't. Right now, Viggo has Jorgen's map and he needs Snotlout to read it for him."

Ruffnut looked even more confused, "Erm…yeah. Even me and Tuff worked that one out."

He turned to them eagerly, "But don't you see, the map is the key to solving the problem." He explained, "Even if we retreated to Berk, we'd only be delaying the inevitable attack of whoever wants the treasure, what we need to do is make it impossible to get it." He grinned, "We need to destroy the map."

Fishlegs jumped up excitedly, "I get it! They need the map as much as they need Snotlout, the map shows the way to the treasure but needs a Jorgenson to read it. However, it works the other way too, a Jorgenson can't find the treasure without the map, we destroy the map, we make it impossible to find the treasure."

Hiccup nodded, "Exactly! Without the map, Snotlout isn't worth capturing anymore."

Ruffnut spoke up, "But if we don't want them to find the treasure then couldn't we just kill Snotlout? It sounds like far less effort."

Fishlegs rolled his eyes, "The point of this is to protect Snotlout."

She shrugged, "And?"

Nobody bothered to pursue that further and Snotlout spoke up, "Personally, I'm with Hiccup's plan. I'm not running back to Berk." And he glared at Ruffnut, "And I definitely don't want to be killed."

Astrid sighed, "Fine then, how are we going to get our hands on the map?"

Hiccup smiled, "I think I have an idea."

* * *

 _ **PS-So pretty much everyone wants to get their hands on Snotlout. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	3. Plans Awry

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to another chapter. Hiccup's plan gets underway this time as they aim to steal Jorgen's map. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Plans Awry**

Hiccup's plan was risky to say the least.

He was going to take Hookfang, the twins and Fishlegs and fly back towards Berk, meanwhile, Snotlout was going to take Toothless and go with Astrid and Stormfly towards Viggo's base. The idea was that the Hunters would assume that they were taking Snotlout back home for safety and try to ambush that group, thinking that Snotlout was there. While they were occupied, Snotlout and Astrid would sneak into the Hunter's base, try to locate the map and then destroy it, with no map, the treasure could no longer be found and there was no point in capturing Snotlout. It had been pointed out that there was a good chance that Viggo would be at the ambush and have the map with him but Hiccup simply grinned and said he had a plan for that, when the risks of sending Snotlout into enemy territory were also mentioned, Hiccup explained that his reasoning was that the Hunter's base would be the last place anyone would think he'd be.

No one had anything better to suggest so it was this plan they went with, which was why Astrid and Snotlout were on their way to Viggo's base.

Looking to the side, Astrid had to admit that Snotlout looked really odd at the moment, his helmet was absent (due to Hiccup taking it to assist in his role as decoy) and it looked wrong having him on Toothless' back. Since he lived with Hiccup, Snotlout had ridden Toothless many times before but Hiccup just seemed to fit the Night Fury, while Snotlout (despite clearly not having difficulty manoeuvring the tailfin) seemed out of place and awkward.

The teen noticed her looking and he smirked, "I know I look gorgeous Astrid, but you don't need to stare."

She snorted, "Only in your dreams Snotlout."

He gave an overexaggerated grimace, "Actually, you staring at me would be more like a nightmare."

Both riders chuckled and Astrid shook her head. Over the last few years, she and Snotlout had developed a sort of sibling relationship, often manifesting in insulting banter and a strong rivalry. More than once they'd turned a simple training exercise into a full-blown competition and exasperated Hiccup in the process, though it was fiercely fought, it remained friendly which was a far cry from how it had once been before the first Thawfest after the Red Death had been defeated. They were now fast friends, even if there were times they drove each other insane but then again, they were both stubborn Vikings so hotly debated differences of opinion were expected.

Her eyes spotted Viggo's base on the horizon, "There it is!"

Snotlout focused on it as well, "What's the plan?"

"We take it slow." She answered, "We have to remain unnoticed if this is to work so we'll take a wide circle around the island and try to spot somewhere we can land secretly. From there, we'll go on foot."

Snotlout nodded in understanding then grinned, "Bet I can move stealthier than you."

Astrid eyed him in amusement, "Snotlout, we both know that stealth and subtlety aren't your strongest talents."

He folded his arms sulkily, "I can be stealthy, I just prefer to not bother."

She smirked, "You know, when you fold your arms and pout like that, I can really see Tuffnut's point that you're like a kid."

He flung his arms up in exasperation, "Why are you all saying things like that? I'm only the youngest by a few months!"

She leaned in his direction, "Oh don't worry little Snotlout, your big sister Astrid will look out for you."

He glared and jabbed his finger at her, "You are not my sister, that would just be weird." He smiled slyly, "Especially since you have a crush on my cousin."

Astrid frowned as her light teasing was turned back on her, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

She urged Stormfly ahead slightly, "We're getting close, we should focus on our mission."

Snotlout didn't answer but she was certain she heard Toothless give a small chortle behind her.

* * *

Some distance away, Hiccup was sat on Hookfang as he led the remaining riders towards Berk.

He'd dressed for the occasion, swapping out his usual outfit for some of Snotlout's clothes (the tunic was actually a hand-me-down from Stoick) and padding himself out a bit to more closely match his cousin's robust build. He'd also used a dye of Fishlegs' creation to turn his hair black and had Snotlout's helmet sat on his head. While it would easily be seen through at close quarters, his disguise would be enough to fool any Hunters on the decks of their ships.

He kept careful watch for Dragon Hunters as they flew and they were silent until Tuffnut finally spoke up, "Err…why are we doing this again?"

Fishlegs sighed, "Seriously guys, we went through this at great length. We're distracting the Hunters so that the others can steal Jorgen's map and destroy it so they have no reason to kidnap Snotlout."

Ruffnut frowned thoughtfully, "So if this is to help protect Snotlout, why did we bring him with us?"

This time, Hiccup sighed, "Guys, I'm not Snotlout!"

The twins both got identical looks of surprise on their faces, "Oooh."

"Sorry, it's just with the outfit and Hookfang we thought you were."

He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "Look, just keep watch for Dragon Hunters. They could launch an attack at any minute."

A net flew right in front of Hookfang, making the dragon quickly bank to avoid it.

"Just like that."

Immediately, the riders entered battle mode and Hiccup scanned the sea below, he spotted the Dragon Hunter ship below them, "Right guys, lets deal with that ship but draw the battle out a bit!"

As they all swooped down, Hiccup tried to spot the other ships but there was only the one. The Hunters continued to launch arrows and nets but the dragons easily avoided them, as they did so, Fishlegs called out, "Hiccup, there's something not right here. If this is an ambush, then where are the other ships? Viggo knows we can handle a single one no problem."

Hiccup grimaced, "You're right, this isn't an ambush at all, in fact I don't think there ever was one." He barked out commandingly, "Everyone, leave the ship! We have to get to Viggo's base right now!"

They shot upwards and away, heading straight for Viggo's base.

* * *

Astrid and Snotlout were finding it easy to sneak around the base, in fact it was almost too easy.

There were very few Hunters about and apart from the usual sentries, it was almost like a ghost town. Despite her comments on his lack of stealth abilities, Astrid had decided that it would be easier if they split up to search for the map, they didn't know how long they'd have and it was easier for one person to move undetected than for two together. Toothless and Stormfly had been left behind at their hidden landing site and while he saw the reasoning behind it, Snotlout felt uneasy leaving them behind.

He stole around behind the rows of dragon cages, keeping out of sight, as he headed for roughly the centre of the island. He reasoned that if Viggo considered anywhere safe for the map, it would be the very middle of his base. Of course, that was a risky place to check but Snotlout had often ignored the risks before.

The sound of several people approaching had him darting into hiding and he listened intently as they passed.

"When are we going to go and capture that dragon rider?"

He heard the familiar voice of Ryker reply to the Hunter's question, "When Viggo says so, those riders are probably back at their village by now and we need a plan before attacking."

Fear filled Snotlout. Going by their words, it seemed that Viggo had never intended to ambush them on the way back to Berk, instead he was here with probably the majority of his forces. How they hadn't encountered them yet he had no idea but he and Astrid needed to leave now, find the others and come up with a new plan.

As the Hunters moved on, he slowly moved to sneak away, unfortunately, he nudged a bucket that had been left on one of the cages and it fell with a loud clatter.

Instantly, he froze and listened, he heard the Hunters stop and no doubt Ryker was looking in his direction in suspicion. He held his breath, unsure if he should run or hope that they'd dismiss the noise. For an age, he waited fearfully until he heard the hunters continuing to walk away.

He sighed in relief and cautiously poked his head out to check if it was clear, the area was completely empty and he swiftly stole out of his hiding place and hurried away to find Astrid. They needed to be gone quickly and find the others, hopefully Hiccup would be able to come up with another idea before Viggo implemented whatever plan he was cooking up.

Suddenly, he felt a stab of pain in his right leg before it went completely numb, causing him to fall right onto his face. He rolled over and stared at his leg in shock, only to see an arrow sticking out of it, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get it to move and could only look up as a voice spoke to him.

"Speed Stinger venom, not enough of it to completely paralyse ye but it can deaden a leg for a while."

Ryker loomed over him and grinned, "Viggo will be pleased with this."

* * *

 _ **PS-And once again, it all goes wrong. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	4. Different Plans

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to another chapter. We see quite a lot of Viggo this time around and I must admit I enjoy writing him. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Different Plans**

Astrid had found out where Viggo's forces were.

They were all patrolling the waters around the island or focused at its central areas, she saw the signs and realised that they were building their defences as if in preparation for an attack. The knowledge that the base had far more people in it than they'd expected caused her to seek out Snotlout, knowing that they had to leave and form a new plan. She moved quickly and quietly but couldn't find the other teen anywhere, worry was seeping in and she began to fear that something had gone wrong.

The sound of several pairs of feet had her ducking into cover and she peeked carefully out.

Ryker was at the head of a large group of Hunters, behind him was Snotlout who was being half carried, half dragged by two men. He didn't look badly hurt but she noticed that his right leg seemed to be unable to move, hence why he was being half carried. The teen was struggling but the men holding him had a firm grip, making his efforts useless.

With there being too many for her to take alone, Astrid could only watch as they took Snotlout to, no doubt, Viggo. Her only option now was to get back to the dragons and return to Hiccup to form a rescue plan. As much as he hated to leave the younger rider behind, Viggo needed him alive to read the map, so he was relatively safe for the time being.

When the Hunters were out of sight, she stole away back to the dragons.

* * *

As he was taken further into the centre of the base, Snotlout saw that more and more of the Hunters were located there.

Several stopped and stared as he was taken past and most would mutter quietly to their neighbours, no doubt discussing him. They all moved swiftly out of Ryker's way and the journey was fairly swift, before long they approached a large central tent that was clearly where Viggo commanded his men.

The group of guards that had surrounded him were dismissed and Ryker seized Snotlout himself and pushed him inside, speaking proudly as he did so, "Viggo, I have something ye'll want to see."

Viggo himself was sat at his desk, intently studying something sat in front of him, he looked up with a flicker of annoyance that swiftly became a smile when he saw who his brother had brought, "Why Snotlout, I must confess I was not expecting you to appear so soon." He gestured to a chair in front of the desk, "Why don't you take a seat."

Ryker unceremoniously shoved the teen into the chair and the dragon rider glowered, Viggo leaned forward and placed the object he'd been studying in front of Snotlout, "Tell me, do you know what this is?"

It was a large, bowl shaped object, made from some kind of stone, its sides were decorated with strange runes and carvings indicating it as something of importance. The teen shrugged carelessly, "A weird stone bowl."

Viggo looked amused, "This is Jorgen's map and it seems that legend about it is true in that it can only be read by a Jorgenson, I have studied it long and hard, attempting every method I know to unlock its secrets but it still remains a mystery."

"Well, sucks to be you."

Snotlout knew that Ryker was getting annoyed but Viggo remained unaffected by the teen's comments, "Of course, I now have the only person who can read it so it's no longer an issue." He took the map back, "If you use this to lead me to the treasure then I give you my word that I'll let you return safely to the other riders, despite our ongoing…disagreements."

The teen snorted, "Well too bad, I have no idea what those runes say. I've never seen them before, wouldn't show you the way to the treasure if I could anyway."

Viggo sighed, "I had hoped you would be more reasonable than this but I expected you to be difficult." He nodded and Ryker hauled Snotlout to his feet, as the man dragged him away Viggo spoke once more, "There are many out there who want to claim Jorgen's treasure Snotlout and they know you're the only Jorgenson left, they're not as reasonable as I am. Sometimes the victory of one enemy is better than the victory of another."

Snotlout didn't answer as Ryker took him out of the tent.

* * *

"How could I let him outwit me again!"

Hiccup paced frantically around the clubhouse, venting his self-anger, "I thought myself so clever, that I could beat him this time and I stupidly gambled Snotlout's safety trying to do it!"

Astrid put her hand on his shoulder, halting his frenzied pacing, "Hiccup, it's not your fault, I shouldn't have decided that we split up on the island, I should've known better than to take such a risk in enemy territory."

The boy shook his head with a sigh, "But if I'd just listened to you and Fishlegs and taken him back to Berk in the first place…I should've just played it safe and not tried to be clever."

Tuffnut shrugged, "He does have a point, I mean, it was his idea to send Snotlout and Astrid to try and steal the map by themselves. You basically handed Snotlout over to him."

Fishlegs glowered at the twin, "That is not very helpful." He looked at Hiccup, "You tried to end this issue before it escalated too far Hiccup, you had the best reasons to make the choice you did."

Astrid swiftly agreed, "He's right, you took what you believed was the best option and yes, it got Snotlout captured. However, we're going to come up with a plan to get him back safely, the way we always do."

Ruffnut raised her hand, "Though I would like to point out that this does seem to support mine and Tuff's theory that Snotlout is the most kidnappable person among us." She shrugged at their glares, "What, I'm just saying."

Astrid rolled her eyes and turned back to Hiccup, "One thing we do have in our favour is time, Snotlout won't just give in and read that map and Viggo will wait a few days before trying any drastic methods of persuading him. We can use that time to properly scout his base, find its weak points and then make an informed, fool-proof plan to rescue him."

Fishlegs nodded eagerly, "And then we can head straight for Berk and reinforce ourselves there for another shot at grabbing the map."

Hiccup sat down heavily, "And if Viggo already has a counter to our plan?"

Astrid sat gently beside him, "Even Viggo can't think of every single possibility, we only need one decent plan to beat him and we're going to take the time to find the right one. We'll get Snotlout back Hiccup."

The teen sighed then nodded, "You're right Astrid, thank you." He stood decisively, "Okay, we'll organise ourselves into scouting teams. We'll map as much of Viggo's base as we can from secrecy, in three days we should have a solid plan of rescue."

The other riders nodded and Hiccup began organising the scout teams.

* * *

Viggo sat in his tent, intently studying Jorgen's map.

He hadn't been lying when he said he couldn't work it out, the runes were unlike anything he'd encountered before and even what experts he knew couldn't identify or translate them. The legends claimed that a Jorgenson was the key, though even that bit of information he'd only discovered quite recently, though he didn't quite understand how they could read the map and no one else could.

Rustling tent flaps announced Ryker's arrival and he looked up at his brother, "Ah, brother, how is our potential business partner?"

Ryker snorted, "Locked up in one of the dragon cages, I've got men keeping a careful eye on him in case of any breakout attempts."

Viggo stood, "Good."

He began pacing the floor casually as he waited for his brother's expected question.

"Why don't ye force him to translate that map, why wait?"

He smiled as he answered, "The forceful methods you're considering may damage him, Jorgen would've considered the possibility of someone forcing one of his descendants to lead them to the treasure and no doubt planned accordingly. I believe some of the protections he's put around the treasure may only be overcome by a Jorgenson who's fit and healthy, we need Snotlout's co-operation."

"And if he can't actually read the map, as he said?"

"I'm certain that is not the case." Viggo's stopped pacing, "Even if he doesn't realise it, I'm sure he knows how the map works. Jorgen would've ensured that the method of doing so would be passed down, Snotlout's ancestors may not know what it was for but they would've remembered it." He smiled again, "I'm sure our Jorgenson friend will come around and agree to help us, especially with the right incentive."

Ryker frowned in confusion, "What incentive?"

The younger brother slowly made his way back behind his desk, "One of our ships spotted the dragon riders heading towards Berk, they thought that Snotlout was with them but we now know that he wasn't. It seems Hiccup took a few of them and attempted to act as a decoy, likely expecting an ambush from us as they headed home. Two of the riders were missing from his group and since we found Snotlout in our base, it's clear those two were attempting to steal the map, thinking that I was otherwise occupied. A rather clever plan and a good way to keep us from our goal. Since we only captured Snotlout then the other rider that was here would've retreated and informed the rest, Hiccup will not leave one of his own to our mercy."

A broad grin spread across the older brother's face, "They're going to try and rescue him and then we can capture them as well."

Viggo sat back down, "Indeed brother, having one of Snotlout's friends or even one of the dragons, will make him far more amicable to assisting us."

Any further conversation was halted by a Hunter bursting into the tent, "Sir! Enemy ship spotted approaching the island!"

Ryker shot his brother a look of surprise, "The riders brought back-up?"

Viggo frowned, "They couldn't have got a ship this quickly, it must be someone else who knows we have the map." He stood, "Defend the base, do not allow the ship to land on our shores." He strode out of the tent.

"Let's see who our unexpected visitors are."

* * *

 _ **PS-So the Dragon Hunters are under attack. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	5. New Player

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the next, overdue, chapter. Things start to get a bit more complicated this time around as we introduce another character, I've also taken a great many liberties with historical accuracy in terms of ships but hey, its a fantasy world to begin with. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **New Player**

Snotlout peered through the bars of his cage, watching Viggo's men hurrying around him.

No one had told him specifically, but he recognised the signs of people preparing for a battle well enough. He assumed that Hiccup and the others were coming to rescue him but he'd heard the men talking about a ship making him wonder what Hiccup was up to. Normally they moved in stealthily on the dragons, perhaps his cousin was using the ship as a distraction to attract Viggo's attention so they could sneak in undetected.

Even so, it would go a long way to help them if he got himself out of the cage, he didn't like sitting around waiting to be rescued because he'd been in a position of complete helplessness before and he had no intention of repeating the experience.

He examined the cage, mindful of the two guards there to keep an eye on him, and tried to find any sort of weak point. As expected, the cage was strongly built with a sturdy lock, he wouldn't be able to force his way out so he would need to get a hold of the key somehow. Maybe he could trick the guards into getting close enough for him to grab it.

A sudden 'whoosh' followed by a hefty crash announced the beginning of the attack, whoever was attacking was quite happily throwing boulders at them and one of the guards shuffled and tensed nervously. The other simply scoffed, "We're too far from the beach for those boulders to hit us, that's why Viggo put the kid here in the first place."

The guard relaxed a little and grinned slightly, "Guess we got lucky, instead of risking our necks in battle we just need to guard one imprisoned rider."

The second one snorted, "The other riders could appear at any moment to break him out, keep your guard up." He then grinned as well, "Then again, Viggo probably already has a plan to stop and capture them, he won't stop till they're dead and Jorgen's treasure is his."

The first man laughed, "You've got that right!" He turned towards Snotlout and spoke mockingly, "You hear that dragon rider? Nothing is going to stop Viggo from getting that treasure!"

In the blink of an eye, something landed right beside the cage, releasing a billowing cloud of smoke. The two guards coughed and spluttered and Snotlout did the same as they all inhaled it, the teen felt his head slowly start to get fuzzy and he realised that it had to be some sort of knockout gas. He tried to hold his breath but he'd already breathed in too much and was rapidly losing consciousness, through blurring eyes, he saw the two guards collapse to the ground and he fell to his knees. Unable to hold it any longer, he took a breath and the gas flooded into his mouth, his vision rapidly darkened as he started to fall sideways.

He was out cold before he hit the ground.

* * *

Hiccup had determinedly volunteered to take the first scouting trip to Viggo's base.

He needed to know that Snotlout was okay, while Viggo needed him to find Jorgen's treasure that was no guarantee that he'd be treated decently. He remembered all too well when his cousin had been kidnapped by Dagur, Snotlout had nearly died then and his helplessness in the situation had not been forgotten, Snotlout feared being that helpless again. Hiccup also felt responsible, he was the leader of their group and it was his duty to keep the other riders safe as much as possible, never mind the fact that Snotlout was family and basically his younger brother. They had to get him back safely.

Flying alongside him was Astrid, she'd insisted on coming and Hiccup had decided that arguing with her wasn't worth it. She frowned at the rapidly approaching island, "Something seems to be happening down there."

They brought their dragons to a hover and Hiccup pulled out a spyglass, he peered through it and swiftly spotted the lone ship attacking Viggo's base, "Someone's attacking Viggo!"

"What! Who, is it someone we know?!"

The teen focused on the ship briefly then shook his head, "I've got no idea, I don't recognise the emblem on the sails or the flag."

"We need to take a closer look." She then narrowed her eyes when she spotted Hiccup's thoughtful frown, "Your thinking of rescuing Snotlout while Viggo is distracted."

The boy nodded firmly, "This is the perfect time to try and do it, Viggo will be entirely focused on that ship letting us slip in and out unnoticed. Even if we are spotted he won't be able to do much to stop us while defending himself at the same time."

She sighed, "I'm not going to able to convince you otherwise, am I?"

He smiled slightly, "Probably not."

* * *

Their arrival on the island went unnoticed as planned, Hiccup guessed that Viggo would keep Snotlout somewhere nearby that was easily defendable so they headed inwards.

Many of the Dragon Hunters were defending the base, limiting the numbers away from the battle. Moving through quickly and quietly, the two riders headed for the cages nearest the central area, they needed to keep Snotlout somewhere and they were the best place. They checked each cage as they passed but gradually ran out of cages to check, Astrid huffed quietly, "He's not here! Maybe Viggo moved him onto the ships instead."

Hiccup crouched down at the edge of one of the well-worn paths, "I don't think so, look."

She swiftly joined him and her keen eyes slowly made out a smaller, less used path heading away from them and into the trees, "He's hidden him away!"

Hiccup stood and walked on, "Let's go!"

* * *

The little path wound through the trees for some distance before finally reaching a small, out-of-the-way hollow. In it sat a single cage that was wide open, in front of the cage were the slumped forms of the two guards.

Astrid immediately hurried over to them and pinned down one that was stirring, "Where's Snotlout!"

The man stared at her groggily, "Taunting rider…weird gas…fell asleep."

The girl swiftly released him and looked to her friend, "Now what?"

Hiccup paced worriedly, "The attacking ship was a distraction, for someone else. They were trying to get Snotlout as well."

Astrid quickly put the pieces together, "Someone else who's after the treasure staged an attack so they could sneak onto the island, they knocked the guards out with some sort of gas and took Snotlout." She began to run, "Maybe we can catch them before they get away!"

"Astrid wait!" Hiccup shook his head as she spun to face him, "The attack has stopped, we can't hear the sounds of battle anymore. That means they've got what they came for and are retreating. We need to get back to the Edge and tell the other riders, then find out who this new foe is."

She listened to confirm his words then sighed, "You're right."

* * *

Things were fuzzy as Snotlout slowly opened his eyes.

It was taking some time for him to get his head sorted and things slowly trickled back to him, being captured, speaking to Viggo, the knockout gas, he slowly sat upright and partially registered the fact that he was on a bed.

The cover fell away as he looked around him, it was a small wooden room with a single table in its centre, there were a few empty shelves around the walls and the constant motion told him he was on a ship. A couple of lanterns were lit, giving light to the windowless room, and the teen stood and with their light, spotted a man standing against the wall watching him.

He was lithe and sinewy, his body toned with no trace of fat and he wore nothing that was ornamental and unnecessary. He stepped forward, "The Captain will see you immediately."

The man strode towards the door and swung it open, "Come."

Snotlout hesitated for a moment and the man gestured firmly, "Now!"

Though it wasn't raised, the man's voice carried an element of command and the teen was certain that he didn't want to push him. Obediently, Snotlout walked through the door and into the corridor beyond, it seemed to run the length of the ship and the cabin he'd left was near one end. He began walking down it with the man close on his heels, he considered trying to overpower his guard but something told him he'd never win, as such he stayed docile, enjoying the lack of manhandling that usually came with being a captive.

The corridor quickly opened up into a large hold, lined with hammocks making it clear it was the crew's quarters, a couple of tables were scattered about with one or two men around them. These men stopped and stared at him as he went past but a single look from the man behind him caused them to quickly turn away again. Snotlout was shepherded towards the steps heading upwards and soon he was blinking in the sunlight as he stood on deck.

The ship was unlike any he'd seen before, it was considerably larger than many Viking vessels and had three masts. There were far more crew members up here, attending to a multitude of tasks, and most glanced his way before returning to what they were doing. Behind him, he could see a helmsman at a massive wheel, this was on a sort of upper deck and Snotlout was firmly pushed towards a large door that sat between the staircases going up to it. The man knocked upon the door and a voice called from within, "What is it?"

"Captain, I've brought the Jorgenson."

"Send him in."

The man opened the door and spoke to Snotlout, "Enter."

The teen carefully stepped inside and jumped slightly as the door was swiftly shut behind him, he looked around the cabin to find it far more elaborately decorated than anywhere else on the ship. A large set of windows dominated the back wall, granting a vast view of the ocean, to one side was a bed, concealed behind silk curtains, a large table dominated the central space while the other wall was filled with bookshelves, wardrobes and cupboards. Several paintings graced the walls, most of beautiful landscapes and seascapes, but Snotlout's attention was taken by the captain who was sat at the table, which was laden with food.

He was a tall, thin man sporting brown, well combed hair and a very tidy handlebar moustache. His garments were an array of elegant silks and cloths, made into a set of rather fine, but practical, clothes. He gestured to a seat across from him and spoke, "Do take a seat dear boy."

The captain had a very odd accent, one Snotlout hadn't really encountered before and he kind of wondered if it was put on. Regardless, he sat down but remained quiet, unsure of what to do. The captain delicately took a mouthful of the food on his plate and politely dabbed his mouth with a serviette before speaking, "Now then, allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Addington Thyme, commander of the _Rosethorn_. And you are?"

Snotlout was slightly taken aback by the name of both the captain and the ship, "Umm…Snotlout."

Captain Thyme raised an eyebrow, "You Vikings certainly have peculiar names." He took a sip of some hot liquid from a dainty cup, "I assume you know why I had my crew…pull you away from Viggo's clutches?"

Snotlout folded his arms, "Jorgen's treasure."

Addington beamed, "Indeed dear boy, one of the greatest treasures that could ever be claimed." He gestured to the food, "Please eat, I doubt that vagabond bothered to feed you and such conversation is far more enjoyable over a meal."

Snotlout eyed the food cautiously and the captain smiled in amusement, "I assure you that its quite safe."

The teen hesitated a bit longer before finally taking some and eating ravenously, he hadn't had anything for a while and was really hungry. Addington continued speaking as Snotlout sated his hunger, "Now, as you certainly know, a Jorgenson is the only one that can read the map to find the treasure, as such, I require your assistance in claiming it."

The captain placed a dome shaped object before him, cut from the same stone as the bowl Viggo had, it also had runes carved into it which Snotlout couldn't read. Captain Thyme held it reverently, "This is Jorgen's map, the key to finding his lost treasure. If you help me find it I'll return you home unharmed, you'll be treated well the entire journey as my honoured guest and won't have to suffer the bondage others would put you through."

Snotlout looked up, slight defiance in his eyes, "And if I refuse?"

A pain lanced through his arm and the teen yelped, he looked at it to see a thin cut across his bicep, already bleeding. Turning his eyes to the captain, he saw Addington holding a long, thin blade with an ornate, gold hilt. The man gave him a friendly smile, that was as cold as ice.

"I'll persuade you otherwise."

* * *

 _ **PS-Yeah, Addington is not to be trifled with. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	6. Even More Players

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to another chapter. This one marks the appearance of some book characters and I warn you now, they are very different from their book counterparts so expect them to be OOC. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Even More Players**

Snotlout had been given a day to 'consider' Captain Addington's offer, though he thought of it as a day to try and escape.

The teen knew full well that saying no was not an option, however, he didn't think agreeing was one either. Addington may not be Viggo but he certainly couldn't be trusted to just let him go once he had the treasure, for all his airs and graces, he clearly had no qualms about harming others to get what he wanted. Addington was a clear enemy and leading him to the treasure was a bad move.

That being said, Snotlout wasn't sure he could lead anyone anywhere, Addington and Viggo may be convinced only a Jorgenson could find the treasure but they both somehow had what they thought was Jorgen's map, seeing as there was only supposed to be one, that was a major issue. How two maps had surfaced was beyond him, but Snotlout hadn't been able to read any of the runes on either one so he didn't see how he could use the map when the runes made no sense to him.

In short, he had to escape…soon.

The door to his cabin rattled and the teen quickly lay in bed, pretending to sleep. Through half closed eyes, he watched as the door creaked open and one of the crew peered in. Fortunately, it wasn't the formidable man from earlier, instead it was one of the usual grunt types that Snotlout was confident he could deal with. Continuing his pretence, he waited and listened as the man quietly entered and crept over to check he was definitely sleeping, just as he was stood over him, Snotlout acted.

Shooting up, he tackled the man to the ground, causing the crewman's head to crack against the wall knocking him out cold. The teen waited for a moment but, after a few moments silence, smiled as it looked like no one had heard what had happened. He quickly relieved the man of his keys and stole out of the door, quietly locking it behind him, cautiously, he hurried down towards the crew quarters where the stairs were.

It was the dead of night so most of the crew were asleep, forcing Snotlout to tread very carefully past all the hammocks, he wasn't fooling himself however, he knew that a ship this size would have several night watchmen so he had to be extremely careful. Sidling past one of the tables, where a couple of men had rested their heads and were snoring uproariously as they hugged tankards, he unintentionally upset a cup that fell over with a clatter, forcing him to hold back a very colourful curse.

The men stirred.

Snotlout froze in place, grimacing at his own clumsiness, and waited tensely. Eventually, the men muttered a little then settled down once more and the teen let out a quiet sigh of relief. Continuing on, he soon got past the table and snuck to the stairs and up to the deck.

Poking his head tentatively out the hatch, he glanced around to find the immediate area clear of crew, he looked up towards the helm and frowned when he saw no one steering. He was sure a ship like this needed someone at the helm all the time so where were they, he took the sudden run of luck and quickly scurried away into the shadows before he was spotted.

His plan was to find some sort of small boat, a ship this size had to have one somewhere to get to shore and it would likely be somewhere where it could be put in the water easily. Once he had the boat, he'd use it to put some distance between himself and the ship where he could either make it to an island to await rescue or find a dragon to train to get him back to the Edge. Not the most watertight of plans but he was under pressure and it was him, he'd make it work…somehow.

He couldn't see what he was after anywhere nearby so he slowly made his way to the bow, keeping a careful eye out for other crewmen. The further he went, the more uneasy he felt, he should have seen someone by now and the lack of a helmsman bothered him. The whole crew couldn't be asleep and certainly not when they were at sea, where was everyone?

He only just stopped himself smashing his face into the deck as he tumbled over something and he stared down at what had tripped him.

An unconscious crewman.

He stared at the man in surprise, taking a moment to understand what this suggested. He'd just realised what was going on when something hard struck him across the back of his head, turning everything black.

* * *

To say Viggo was upset was a slight understatement, he was furious.

He stood and stared at the empty cage that, not long ago, had held Snotlout, Ryker came up beside him, "It was Addington alright, we recognised the emblems on the ship."

"He used the attack as a distraction and sent someone else to take the boy from us." Viggo glowered, "A play I should have seen coming."

Ryker folded his arms, "He must've been watching us, that's how he knew we had the boy already."

The younger of the men stroked his chin reflectively, "Perhaps I became too distracted in my ongoing game with Hiccup, I forgot to keep watch for our other foes."

His brother frowned, "I thought you and Addington had an agreement."

"More an unspoken understanding." Viggo clasped his hands behind his back, "Continually fighting with each other would have only harmed both our interests, we maintained a sort of balance by not encroaching upon each other's operations too much. However, with the amount that is rumoured to be in Jorgen's treasure, anything goes."

"We still have the map." Ryker pointed out, "The boy is useless to him without it."

"But the map is useless to us without the boy." The younger man reminded him, "We both have only half of what we need, we either come to an agreement or simply take what we are missing."

Viggo began striding to his tent, "Time is of the essence, the Dragon Riders will do anything to get their missing member back and they won't wait long. We haven't got time to engage Addington in discussions about a mutual arrangement, we need to take Snotlout back from him immediately."

Ryker grinned, "I'll make sure we do."

* * *

When Snotlout came to, he couldn't move and his head really hurt.

Oh…and he was also upside down.

It took a while with his pounding head, but he eventually realised that he'd been tightly tied and was hanging upside down in yet another windowless cabin.

Oh, how wonderful!

Before he could even test his bonds, someone thrust their face in his and sharply prodded him, "He's awake!"

The person was roughly shoved aside, "Move then!"

Snotlout peered up at his new captor and discovered them to be a tough-looking, muscular woman. She sneered down at him, "So this is the last Jorgenson, looks like another dim-witted male."

The teen looked around as best as he could from his position and saw that everyone else in the room was a woman, all were muscular and tough and they all had an alarming number of weapons, knives, swords, clubs, axes, nooses, each carried a veritable armoury and all stood with the confidence that showed they knew how to use their weapons. The woman in front of him crouched down to his eye level, "Surprised to see an all-female crew? We're the Bog-Burglars and we outclass you males any day." She stood proudly, "I'm Bertha, Captain of the ship and you're only of interest because you can do something for me."

She showed him a flat, stone arrow, carved with runes, "This is Jorgen's map and you're going to read it for me or spend the next few days screaming."

Really not believing what was going on, Snotlout couldn't stop his outburst, "Seriously, a third one!"

Bertha grabbed his face and growled at him, "What do you mean 'a third one'?"

Knowing she meant business, the teen quickly answered, "Both Viggo and Captain Addington have stone items that they claimed to be Jorgen's map."

The woman released him and frowned, "Is that so?" She then cackled, "Of course! Jorgen separated the map into pieces, it'll only work when its put back together, he was quite smart…for a man."

She looked down at her prisoner, "Looks like you get a few days' grace boy, we'll have to retrieve the rest of the map from those two fools, then you'll read it for us."

As she turned away, Snotlout spoke up, "Um…am I going to have to stay like this for that whole time?"

She spun round and glared ferociously and the teen gulped, in one swift motion she unsheathed one of her knives and threw it, slicing neatly through the rope hanging him from the ceiling so he fell painfully to the floor.

"Ow!"

She turned away again, "Camacazi, keep watch over our prisoner, you can do as you like to him so long as you don't kill or irreparably harm him." She smiled, "We need him alive...for the moment."

Snotlout looked up fearfully as a girl around his age smirked evilly, "Sure thing Mom."

As Bertha led the rest out, Camacazi crouched down and eyed the still-bound boy, "So, what shall we do with you then?"

* * *

 _ **PS-Yeah, Snotlout really isn't in a good position right now. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	7. Partnership

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. This one has been altered from its original form, taking the story in a different direction.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Partnership**

The Bog-Burglars all seemed to have different views on how Snotlout should be treated as a captive.

Camacazi had just left him tied up, he behaved, she didn't do much other than guard him to prevent an escape attempt. The woman that replaced her was more…active in her guard duty, firstly she gagged him as well as ensure that every single one of his bonds was as tight as possible, then she watched him like a hawk, threatening him if he so much as blinked out of line. His third guard was far nicer, she actually brought food (always a plus) and untied him so he could eat, she was quite happy to leave him untied but she was quick to prepare to stop him if he got too close to the door, making it harder for him to take advantage of his mobility. Then this woman swapped with Camacazi and he found himself tied up all over again, thus, the cycle continued.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been here for but he was already sick of it, all he wanted was to get out of here and back with the other riders at the Edge so escape was his main focus. Though considering his recent luck, he'd probably escape just to be captured by a fourth bad guy/girl who also had a piece of Jorgen's map and wanted him to read it.

This was not the kind of popularity he wanted.

He let out a sigh and slumped slightly in his bonds, Camacazi gave him a passing glance before resuming her honing of one of her daggers. Things had been like this for some time now and the more reckless part of him was considering pushing the boundaries of the rules a little, just to see what he could get away with.

"So, how did you guys find out about the treasure?"

The girl looked up at his question and glowered slightly, "Its big news all over the oceans, I don't think there isn't a crew that hasn't heard about it."

The boy frowned, "But I'm descended from Jorgen and I had no idea he'd even hidden a treasure until two or three days ago."

Camacazi scoffed, "You didn't even know about your ancestor's treasure, that just proves how thick you males are."

Snotlout scowled, "Hey! I've been through the entirety of Jorgen's journal several times, not once have I come across any mention of a map or hidden treasure in the entire thing!"

The girl spoke sharply, "Watch your tone boy!"

The teen shut his mouth, realising that he was in dangerous waters, and Camacazi nodded approvingly, "Good, now be quiet or I'll make you."

Sounds from above attracted their attention and the girl frowned, "What's happening up there?"

The room shook at the unmistakable impact of a boulder and sudden shouts and clashes of metal announced the start of a battle, Camacazi was on her feet, her weapons ready, "Someone's actually stupid enough to attack us?" She grinned, "I can barely believe it."

The sounds got louder, indicating that the battle had entered the lower decks, and the girl prepared for a fight, Snotlout used her distraction to frantically start working at the ropes around his wrists, a fight could provide the best cover for him to slip away but he needed to be untied to do it.

There were several clangs and a thud just outside the door and it was flung open to reveal Ryker, the hunter smirked, "Just one girl as a guard."

As quick as a blink, Camacazi shot towards him, forcing the man to react quickly to block her nimble dagger. She smoothly danced around him, thrusting and cutting, trying to get a hit in but Ryker was well trained and he soon disarmed her. Camacazi wasted no time in drawing her sword and she performed a spectacular manoeuvre that sent the hunter's spinning through the air to embed itself right beside Snotlout.

He shot them a glare, "Hey, watch it! Important treasure finder here!"

He then eyed the sword and grinned, just what he needed. He quickly shuffled himself around and began rubbing his bonds against the blade, its keen edge quickly sliced the ropes and he pulled it out of the woodwork to free his legs. Mobile and armed, Snotlout eased his way around the battling pair and scurried away from the cabin, he heard shouts behind him.

"He's escaping!"

He briefly glanced back to see both Ryker and Camacazi hot on his trail, fighting each other to grab the lead and catch him. The chase flew through the lower decks and Snotlout spotted the stairs, scrambling up them, he tumbled out onto the main deck where Bog-Burglars and Hunters were fighting everywhere. Viggo and Bertha were locked in a one-on-one duel near the bow so the teen headed towards the stern instead.

Ducking under and darting around fighters, he reached the stern and looked at the surrounding seas. It seemed Viggo had brought several of his ships and they surrounded the Bog-Burglar's, why Viggo had abandoned his usual methods the boy didn't know but the confusion was such that he should be able to steal a small boat and slip away unnoticed. He narrowed his eyes as he spotted another vessel heading their way.

The _Rosethorn_.

Snotlout cursed his luck, now Captain Addington was here as well, who else was going to turn up?

The larger ship quickly caught up to the one he was on and several grapples shot across and hooked onto the stern, Addington's men swarmed down the ropes and instantly spotted their missing captive.

"There he is! Get him!"

The teen instantly did an about turn and ran for it, heading towards the bow, Ryker and Camacazi were now on deck and they charged at him from opposite sides.

"Come here boy!"

"You won't escape!"

Snotlout threw himself into a roll, getting out of the way just in time and causing the two of them to smash into each other. Addington's crew charged from behind, adding to the confusion and soon Snotlout found himself avoiding people trying to grab him from all sides. It devolved into an insane scrum, in which he somehow lost his sword, and he scrambled out from underneath a heap of bodies and ran to the side, he skidded to a halt with nowhere else to go and looked around desperately for some kind of escape route. Then Viggo appeared from out of nowhere and grabbed his arm, the man expertly twisted it and rammed it into Snotlout's back and placed the blade of his sword dangerously close to the teen's throat.

"Stop or I kill him!"

Immediately, all activity ceased and all three groups stared at him, Bertha pushed her way through the crowds and scoffed, "Oh please Viggo, if that boy dies then you lose the treasure as well."

The Hunter merely smiled, "A sacrifice I'm willing to make if it will cease this pointless conflict of ours."

Addington also came to the front, "Viggo, why don't we discuss this like reasonable men?"

Viggo turned his smile upon the captain, "But why do I need to discuss it when I hold both the map and the map reader."

Snotlout then had an idea, a gamble that could go very wrong, "But you don't have the whole map! None of you do!"

Bertha scowled but Viggo and Addington looked surprised, "What are you talking about."

"The map is in three pieces, each of you have a single piece so even if one of you has me, you still can't get the treasure."

Viggo looked to Bertha, who shrugged carelessly, "No point keeping it a secret, he's right. Jorgen must have split the map in order to protect his wealth."

Addington twirled his moustache, "Then it seems we're at a bit of a stalemate."

"Indeed." Viggo answered, "Might I suggest that we make this venture a joint effort. It seems discussing it will save us far more time than continuing to fight."

Both Bertha and Addington shared a look before nodding.

"Agreed."

* * *

Upon the large deck of the _Rosethorn_ , Snotlout sat uncomfortably in the chair he'd been tied to.

Around a table in front of him sat the three biggest names in the seas of their part of the world. Viggo Grimborn, Chief Bertha of the Bog-Burglars and Captain Addington Thyme, all eyed each other as they discussed their next move.

"So, we each have one piece of the whole of Jorgen's map, as well as the only person who can read it."

Viggo nodded, "Indeed Chief Bertha, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us that we may only seize if we come to an agreement."

"But how would this agreement work?" Addington asked, "We need to put all three pieces together in order to complete the map but I'm sure none of us will want to release what we have."

"Then I propose that we pool our resources." Viggo suggested, "We pick our best crew members and take the best ship, also, we keep Snotlout and the map separate unless we are using him to read it for us."

"Well, the _Rosethorn_ is by far the most superior of vessels available to us." Thyme declared, "We shall use her in our endeavour."

Bertha snorted but Viggo agreed, "Very well, perhaps if I keep a hold of the map pieces, we can leave Snotlout under the guard of Chief Bertha and her tribe. This way, all of us have a vital part required to achieve our goal."

Addington rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "A division of power, very wise."

Bertha slammed her hand down moodily, "And why do my people get stuck with the dead-headed male? How do we know you won't simply run off with the completed map?"

Viggo answered levelly, "Very well then, perhaps we could exchange custody of the boy and map every two days. Would this be a suitable compromise?"

The woman nodded curtly, "Yes, it would."

Addington clapped his hands, "Then its settled! May this partnership prove fruitful."

As all three stood and shook hands, not one of them dared turn their back on the others. Shortly, Addington's scribe wrote out an extensive agreement which they all signed and soon, all eyes focused on Snotlout.

Viggo held up his piece of the map, "And now our…associate, can do his part."

* * *

 _ **PS-Anyone care to guess how long this 'partnership' will last? Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.  
**_


End file.
